THE KING’S BUSINESS
502
M ay H e n ot, if H e please, d e p a rt from H is u n ifo rm m eth o d in n a tu re , a n d by th a t v ery d e p artu re m ak e m an ifest to doubting m en th e m ig h t o f H is arm , an d th e love of H is h e a rt? W h ile th e e le c tric c u rre n t flo w s-o n w ith u n in te rru p te d circu it, th e re is no m an ifes tatio n o f its p re sen c e a n d - its p ow er, but le t th ere be a b re ak in th e circu it, a n d th ere is a gleam o f th e electric lig h t, w hose p al pable reality n o m an can d isp u te. E ven so, e v er an d anon, G od m ak es a b re ak in th e o rd in ary co u rse o f p ro v id en tial adm in istratio n , th a t m en m ay k n o w th e re is a G od, e n th ro n e d in h eaven, b u t still ru lin g o v er all th e ' earth. W h y sh o u ld it be th o u g h t a th in g in cred ible fo r G od som etim es to in terp o se di rectly in a n sw er to H is people’s p ra y ers? A m an in terp o ses h is ow n p erso n ality , to a rre s t th e action o f w h a t w e a re p leased to call a law o f n a tu re . A little ch ild is in th e act o f fallin g— it is m y child. I t is fallin g in acco rd an ce w ith th e law o f g ra v itatio n . I e x te n d m y arm s to b re a k its fall. D o I th en u n w a rran ta b ly b re a k a law , be cause, fo rso o th , I b re a k a fall by th e in te r p o sition o f m y p erso n ality ? M ay a m an do th a t ? A n d m ay n o t G od, w h o is n o t only a divine p erso n , b u t a n infinitely lo v in g an d alm ig h ty F a th e r ? M u st H e alo n e be b a rre d from th e u n iv erse ju s t becau se H e m ad e it? T h a t w ere to sh ow th a t in th e u n iv erse at least fo r th e p resen t, m an is m o re o f a god th an is G od H im self. T h is is th e v ery in san ity of in tellectu ality— th e v ery b las phem y o f p ro u d im piety. T h a t G od d id a n sw e r p ra y e r in th e e arlie r ages o f h um an h isto ry— th a t by th e p ow er o f p ra y er w as “su b d u ed k in g d om s, w ro u g h t rig h teo u sn ess, stopped th e m o u th s Of lions, q u en ch ed th e violence o f fire, escaped th e edge o f th e sw o rd , w ax ed v a lia n t in fight, tu rn e d to flight th e a rm ies o f th e alien s”—? w hile th ro n es w ere o v ertu rn e d , an d even th e d ead w ere ra ised up fro m th e ir g rav es — i s .a ll so -c le a rly w ritte n in th e B o o k of G od th a t to d e n y it is to ren o u n ce th e - B o o k itself, w ith all its p recio u s legacy of e v erlastin g love.
upon by o u r m o d ern p h ilo so p h ers, w e m u st fall d ow n a n d w o rsh ip o r else be consigned to a fu rn ac e o f criticism h o tte r th a n th a t m ate ria l fire th a t w as k in d led by a h eath en k in g fo r th re e red o u b tab le H eb rew ch ild ren th a t d a re d to c a rry th e ir h ead s erect and w o rsh ip o n ly th e liv in g God. T H E D E A D D E IT IE S . W h a t a re th ese n ew -fo u n d deities th a t h av e ta k e n th e places o f th e ir v en erab le a n cesto rs in th e P a rth e n o n o f m o d ern sci en ce? I ap p ro ach th em , I e x am in e th em — I d a re to , fo r th ey a re dead. “T h ey have m o u th s, b u t th ey speak n o t ; eyes h av e they, b u t th ey see n o t ; th ey h av e ears, b u t th ey h e ar n o t ; n o ses h av e th ey , b u t th ey sm ell n o t ; th ey h av e h an d s, b u t th ey h an d le n o t ; fe et h av e th ey , b u t th ey w alk n o t; n e ith e r sp eak th ey th ro u g h th e ir th ro a ts.” W h o a re th ey th a t th ey sh o u ld ta k e th e place o f G od A lm ig h ty ? W h a t is a law of n a tu re , an y h o w ? W h a t o n e a rth d id it ev er d o ? W h a t is it b u t an o rd e r o f sequence, an o rd e r o f p ro ceed in g ^ A n d w h ere th ere is an o rd e r o f p ro ceed in g , th e re th e re m u st be* som ebody to proceed. A n d w h o se fo o t step s a re th ey th a t echo th ro u g h th e u n i v erse a n d go so u n d in g d ow n th e ages b u t th o se of* th e H ig h a n d H o ly O ne th a t in- h a b ite th e te rn ity ? l i e is im m in en t in n a tu re a n d “u p h o ld eth a ll th in g s by th e w o rd o f H is p ow er,” an d “w o rk e th all th in g s a fte r th e counsels of H is w ill.” O rd in a rily H e w o rk s in u n ifo rm w ays, a n d beneficent an d b e a u tifu l is th is sam e u n ifo rm ity , fo r in consequence o f i t ; / in consequence o f th e o rd e rly succession of d ay a n d n ig h t, a n d o f re c u rrin g seasons, a n d o f all th o se p ro cesses th ro u g h w hich n a tu re passes, w e a re able- to fo rec a st th e fu tu re, an d a d ju s t o u r lives in h a rm o n y w ith o u r su rro u n d in g s. B u t it does n o t follow th a t th e G od o f n a tu re is sh u t up to an y slav ish u n ifo rm ity . S h all scien tists w all in th e m ate ria l u n iv erse w ith th e ir philosophy, a n d th en p o st a p lacard on th e w all, “ N o tre sp assin g allow ed,” so as to w a rn off th e A lm ig h ty M a k e r from tea ch in g th e th in g s w h ich H is h a n d s h av e m ad e?
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